Chapter 45
“What do you think they’re not telling us?” Misty risked asking Sam.
Hot Rod and Compass had been useless as always.
She’s way cute. I see why Derek is into that.
Utterly useless. With the DAGOR still loaded inside Charlene One and her sniper rifle checked twice, she had nothing to do.
Waiting for the Go on a mission, that was fine.
Sitting around while everyone else was on the hustle, not so much.
Sam tugged on each quick disconnect in turn, making sure all held fast before closing the service access. He then turned to inspect her just as carefully. “Are we talking about Abby and Derek, or the mission?”
“I think the first is pretty damned obvious, don’t you? Deeper than either of them sees it.”
That earned her a smile. “I’m glad someone else thinks so.”
“Last time Derek didn’t hang with the crew during a flight…” She couldn’t even remember when.
“Same, same.” Then Sam’s gaze swept over the three aircraft. “A bad thing happened. No warning. They grabbed us based on the last two nights’ exercises and they’re praying that it works.”
“Shit!” Misty wished she’d asked someone else. Confirmation of her own guesses didn’t feel any better than hanging around being useless. “Thoughts?”
He shrugged uncomfortably. “Stay ready?”
“Yeah, stay ready.” For anything! She knew from her years as a sniper that fifteen minutes was about the max on full alert.
After that, your shooting percentage plummeted.
It was one of the services provided by the spotter: keep an eye on the ball so that the shooter didn’t have to until the time for the shot came.
She’d done her rooftop tours at the White House; Delta snipers up top any time that POTUS was transiting past the box of the thick walls and windows.
They followed strict time rules for switchover, even spotter to spotter.
“Ready but not too ready?”
She offered Sam a nod. He understood that fine line. Spec Ops to Spec Ops made the world an easier place.
Then she caught sight of Abby and Derek. They were leaning close to talk, but they didn’t have their mission faces on. They were just…talking, all private-like. Spec Ops to Spec Ops? She eyed Sam. She could see bits of the attraction drawing Derek to the Night Stalker.
Then her possible interest in Sam dried up and blew away. Would attraction turn into distraction at the wrong moment during the mission? That would be bad. Seriously bad. Now she had yet another thing to watch out for.
Shit!